Generate recommendations for addressing a complex challenge

Challenge: Describe your complex challenge and factors that contribute to the complexity of this issue:

Demographics of the individuals/group affected by challenge

Magnitude of the issue in community affected by challenge

Commonly held assumptions or obstacles around this issue

Social conditions that exist specific to this challenge

Cultural or societal issues specific to this challenge

Discipline-specific subject or branch of knowledge

Research: You and your mentor have discussed the importance of making your case with evidence-based research, as appropriate to the discipline, that informs your recommendations.

Annotated Bibliography: Select seven resources to analyze that are relevant to your challenge. These primary or secondary sources (conferences, dissertations, patents, journal studies, journal articles, technical reports, articles in scholarly journals, government policies, laws, or legislation) should address the challenge you have selected and inform the recommendations you make:

Identify the source authors and discuss their place in society

Discuss the purpose of the piece and why it was written

Explain the value or ideas behind the content in the source

Address the credibility of the piece (why or why not)

Your Methods: Include research that is appropriate to the methods that would be used by the professionals using the particular lenses you choose to address your research question. This may include qualitative data, quantitative data, or both.

Qualitative research that provides context and information on aspects of your challenge and informs your recommendations

Case studies that address issues relevant to your challenge

Comparisons on issues relevant to your challenge

Information on focus groups or interviews that were conducted and tackle questions relevant to your challenge

Quantitative research that is grounded in numerical evidence and informs your recommendations. For example, if your challenge is on quality of water, you would want to have quantitative data from impacted communities, such as scientific data that supports your recommendations.

Survey data

Chi square

Correlation

Time Series

T-Test

ANOVA

Recommendations:

Solution: Propose a specific course of action or actions that represent a reasonable solution for your complex challenge, supported by at least five of the most appropriate sources in your annotated bibliography

Applicable methods

Applicable tools or technologies

Necessary resources

Interpretation: Discuss the research and how your interpretation supports your recommendations

What the research says in regard to the challenge you are addressing and recommendations you make

How you see this research as supporting the recommendations you are making

Significance: Discuss the significance and limitations of the research in supporting your recommendations

Geographical global/national/local impacts

Cultural, technological, scientific, etc., aspects

Conclusion: Defend the action or course of action you have recommended over the alternatives based on:

Utility of the type of methods or methodologies in addressing previous challenges of this type

Necessary resources, tools/technologies to implement proposed recommendations

Implications of your proposed recommendations

Ethical effects or consequences

Any additional concerns around implementing the specific course of action or actions, if applicable